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Time waits for no man (or game in this case) although perhaps Dambusters wished it had stopped off for a ciggie break or two in the road to release. Homefront 2 isn't the finished article you see. NPCs walk into walls. Animations are janky. Everything's got an incomplete vibe, like Dambusters downed tools at lunch and disappeared down the pub for a not-so-swift pint. It's not beyond hope though, extensive patching could salvage a decent game out of this. My fear is that the damage is already well and truly done.
The things that upset me about the game stem from the exact reason I love it - I disagree with Paradox's description of the Centurion-class Battleships, for instance, but only because I'm a huge nerd, and therefore perfect for this game. It's definitely a "your mileage may vary", but I feel comfortable in saying, entrance to the grand strategy rabbit hole has never been easier. But be warned - it's still a deep rabbit hole.
Overall DOOM is one half of an impeccable package. If it shipped without any of the multiplayer at all I'd still believe it worthy of the score below; the tepid multiplayer does little to sway it on either side. For fans of single-player FPS campaigns DOOM is a juggernaut, and some of the most fun I've had in gaming for years. It's never going to grab you with an engrossing plot of spectacular linear set pieces, but the flawless combat ensures DOOM just never lets up. Now it's just fingers crossed time that Quake can get the same treatment.
Overall DOOM is one half of an impeccable package. If it shipped without any of the multiplayer at all I'd still believe it worthy of the score below; the tepid multiplayer does little to sway it on either side. For fans of single-player FPS campaigns DOOM is a juggernaut, and some of the most fun I've had in gaming for years. It's never going to grab you with an engrossing plot of spectacular linear set pieces, but the flawless combat ensures DOOM just never lets up. Now it's just fingers crossed time that Quake can get the same treatment.
There's certainly a fair bit here for some to like, particularly for those of you who want a MOBA that's less of a long-term commitment, and a heck of a lot of content to get your teeth into, but Battleborn's development-by-focus-group leaves it feeling a little bland, despite its brash stylings and Borderlands-esque attitude.
So how to go with recommending it? Were this a creation of any other developer or publisher, I'd have my concerns. But the truth is, once they get it all sorted, it's going to be a heck of a game. From the modular ship constructor system and the impressive (if automatic) fleet battles, to the ethical tensions between interstellar neighbours reminiscent of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, to the endless moddability that'll allow, no doubt, classic sci-fi reskins (the likes of Dune spring to mind), I can't wait for Stellaris to be the game it is so obviously going to be. For now, though, it's still struggling with escape velocity on its mission to the stars.
Special Tactics is unfortunately as middle-of-the-road as is achievable. Not knowing what you can achieve in a single turn really drags it down from being a fun experience, and it’s a little frustrating that one small change could really elevate it. Ardent tactics fans might glean something out of Special Tactics online component, but unfortunately there’s nothing here to suggest this is in any way a must play. If I were to recommend anything it's to pick up the mobile of this, it's a far better format for the sort of quick-fix strategy on offer here.
Hopefully the weakest link in Fallout 4’s season pass, Wasteland Workshop is textbook filler. Wasteland Workshop is a kind of greatest hits packaged of what I don't want from DLC. Taking into account how great the main game was, this can't be considered anything but a disappointment. If you’ve paid for the pass then you might as well give it a shot I guess, but in all likelihood there isn’t much here that many people will find fun, aside from those obsessed with base customisation. It’s a slight extra and nothing more, and certainly not worth picking up on its own. All eyes now turn to the far more promising Far Harbor...
Enter the Gungeon is a wonderful, demanding yet rewarding, roguelike twin-stick shooter where the visuals marry perfectly with the gameplay to deliver one of the most addictive experiences in recent memory. Fans of Binding of Isaac, Spelunky et al sit up and take notice, Enter the Gungeon rolls with the punches and delivers an experience worth of sitting alongside these greats.
But it's a small thing. By and large, Battle: Fleet Gothic Armada is a great game, and another one of the nice surprises that can occasionally emerge from Games Workshop's plan for world domination.
Despite all of this I still felt myself compelled to play it through, above and beyond writing this review. The age-old argument of gameplay being more important than graphics still rings true, but for those interested in flat-out gorgeous visuals then there's enough lurking here to perhaps warrant the price of entry. It's a superficial reason to like it, sure, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that was the main thing which pulled me through. To that end, from my experiences with VR I can comfortably see a digit or two being tacked on to the score for the sheer immersion present. Without the $600 headset though, this is about as flat an experience as I've had in a long while.
I mean, it's not actually painful to play. It's a little broken here and there, with one of those perma-map-scrolling bugs that seem to plague RTSes, and a couple of other small niggling technical issues. But what really stands out is the lack of anything interesting or novel. In the rush to market for the accolade of 'First game to utilise DirectX 12' or whatever, they've presumably cut everything out of the game that would have made it stand out from anything else. I guess there is a system of supply lines that can be cut which plays far more of a part in multiplayer games than it does in the single player campaign, but ultimately it's too little to make a difference. This is how we are to be introduced to DirectX 12 - not with a bang, but with a whimper.
Dark Souls 3 isn't here to redesign the formula or to reimagine the way the Souls games play. Instead, it's refined the game style that FromSoftware have been experimenting with since Demon's Souls and it honestly feels like they've found the perfect balance between the style of each games. Borrowing a bit of the speed from Bloodbourne and mixing that with the gothic, oppressive atmosphere of Demon's Souls and the core gameplay of Dark Souls and DS2 has made for a beautiful distillation of what looks to be one of the most successful hack and slash RPGs of modern gaming, a greatest hits package of the best Souls has to offer.
For now it’s by no means a justification for the £40 season pass, but Automatron is a promising first step that should go some way to help with the bad taste Hearthfire left in some people’s mouths. While brief it’s certainly enjoyable, and the two new lairs to explore are probably worth the price of entry alone. Just be warned you’ll see all there is to see in a couple of evening’s entertainment, but it's a enjoyable enough way to keep Fallout 4 fresh until the meatier Far Harbor arrives.
Considering its budget pricing, there's a heck of a lot to love about Trackmania Turbo. As I said earlier it really is an acquired taste, for that masochistic lot that get a kick out of shaving tenths of seconds off theirs and other people's time, Nadeo's latest is a winner. It's the sort of thing I find myself frantically throwing in the last few minutes of my lunch break, desperate to catch a quick session or smash a new record.
All in all, despite a few tedious moments and some strange design choices, The Division excels at delivering a paranoid, distrustful world full of ambivalence and moral dichotomy along with an extremely enjoyable RPG experience. If you're looking for a solid shooter experience then I'd say maybe this isn't the game for you. If you enjoyed Destiny or love MMO games but wish they were a bit more action based then The Division will provide you hours upon hours of fantastic gameplay. Just make sure you have your buddies or that you find other players to play with in order to really get the full experience.
Still, there's plenty here for a certain type of person to sink their teeth into, it just might not be a method of delivery that appeals to everyone. The only doubt could be that Io Interactive doesn't deliver this level of quality every month, at which point there's only patience separating you from the retail release in 2017. Should Io maintain these heady heights though, then this will be a stellar return to form for Agent 47.
All in all, if you're even remotely interested in the Far Cry games then you'll be right at home with Far Cry Primal, but if you're looking for a completely fresh experience you're going to be sorely disappointed. Graphically the game could be a lot better when compared against other titles such as The Witcher 3 or Rise of the Tomb Raider but the prehistoric setting remains a fresh and exciting addition that I find myself excited to explore further. On the current basis I'd have to give it 7/10.
Ultimately, it comes down to your own relationship with Pillars. I know, I know. Lazy journalism. But if you've taken a lot of time off and don't feel like you can re-engage with the world in a short time, you'll maybe miss some of the fun. When you roll back into Stalwart and the locals are coming up to you and talking about things you can only vaguely remember, something is lost. If I remove my own personal feelings on the matter, though, it's exactly what you'd hope for: a roughly ten-hour excursion back into a fantasy world you know and love.
Everything about SUPERHOT just feels right, right down to look of its menus and how everything ties together. Equal parts fast & furious and tense & methodical, SUPERHOT is the perfect antidote to the legions of online-focused twitch shooters flooding the market.